California - Northern

[Parkmule]

Well, this is what hatched here this morning. A Drum Horse colt. 3/4 Clydesdale and 1/4 Gypsy horse. He hatched out at about 125 pounds.

I do still have lots of chicks...
I have 2 "Fuzzants" I think they are Blue Copper Marans. but could be OE
I found a Sultan in there today.
I separated out the Gold Cuckoo Marans, there are several "pairs" And I am hatching out eggs I orders, if you wanted unrelated pairs. Should be in 2 more weeks.
There is a little of everything out there. I have mine and my Biz partner's eggs then eggs from friends and neighbors too.
PM me for breeds, prices and possible meet ups and delivery.

Oh, Drum Horse is for sale too.

He looks like a Budweiser Clyde
I am in central CA, near Fresno and I am very tired...200 chicks, a baby draft horse and a 2nd baby horse on the way is very tiring.

 

[SilkieRose]

So sorry that you are going through this.

I have had 3 cases of Merek's in my flock. You just have to be willing to do what's best for your girl even if it is hard. My first chick to get it was around 6-8 weeks old when it started showing signs of paralysis. It was a FBCM chick that I purchased from a breeder and I'm not sure if it was vaccinated or not. I thought that he was a she so I tried all kinds of things to get him better. I put him in a dog kennel inside and hand fed & watered him because he was almost completely paralyzed. I ended up using a homeopathic treatment made from St. John's wort and vitamin E. It was a long process but it worked! I treated him for about 6 weeks before he was well enough to rejoin the flock. He kind of had an odd staggering gait so we named him Captain Jack Sparrow. He lived happily for several more months and then he crowed. I can't have roosters in my backyard flock and I wouldn't even give away a chicken that had Merek's or eat it so I made the hard decision to cull him at that point. My husband always does the deed for me while I cry. Hindsight, we should have culled him at the beginning when I was sure he had Merek's. .

My second case of Merek's overlapped the first case and was a 13 month old Speckled Sussex hen who I thought had peritonitis based on symptoms. She just wasn't acting herself, did not want treats which was very abnormal, and I was finding egg yolk in the nest box and soft shelled eggs under the roost. I treated her with Tylan but she didn't show signs of improving. I tried forcing her to heat and drink but she was not interested at all. Within a week, she quietly passed away in a nest box. I sent her in to Davis for a necropsy and the results came back Merek's. She was full of tumors, poor girl. She was a hatchery chick purchased from Concord Feed and was vaccinated for Merek's as a day old. So, the vaccination obviously didn't work for her.

We just resolved my third case of Merek's. I had an EE cockerel who was around 4 months old that started having a droopy wing 2 or 3 weeks ago. I looked to me like a split wing when I examined him. Then a week later, he started staggering a little bit and just looking not quite right. When I examined him again, I could not even move the droopy wing. It was paralyzed and then I knew that he most likely had Merek's. I separated him in an outdoor brooder area but chose not to do the whole homeopathic treatment. All of my indoor brooders and kennels are full of chicks so I didn't want to bring him in the house. He went rapidly down hill the end of last week and started showing signs of complete paralysis with a turned neck. We made the difficult decision to cull him. Making those kind of decisions is the hardest part of owning chickens. I knew it was the best thing to do for this bird but it was still hard.

Now I'm trying to figure out the best way to clean out that brooder area. Does anyone know if Oxine or Tektrol will kill the herpes virus that causes Merek's? I know that all of my adult flock has been exposed but I have a broody hen sitting on eggs and I need that space for her in another 2 weeks.

Thank you so much for your story. I'm so sorry you have had to deal with this, too!! I just lost a Silkie from wry neck & now this... I have quail that should be hatching by tomorrow, too. She wouldn't eat this morning; I have her in a kennel in the garage. I just went out & she ate/drank a little, but not her usual. She cannot stand at all. Please tell me- in your experience, would you keep trying or Go ahead & stop it for the sake of the chicks & for the fact that she may not recover at all. I have my husband prepared to do the deed, but as a nurse, it's hard for me to stop treatment unless I know it's terminal.
What do you think I should do? Please, anybody tell me your opinion. With all the other crazy things in my life right now, I can't dedicate the treatment/feeding/cleaning that may help her, but most likely won't. Luckily my wry neck chick went on his own. This is the first time I've had to face THIS decision

 

[debs_flock]

Well, this is what hatched here this morning. A Drum Horse colt. 3/4 Clydesdale and 1/4 Gypsy horse. He hatched out at about 125 pounds.


Oh, Drum Horse is for sale too.

He looks like a Budweiser Clyde
I am in central CA, near Fresno and I am very tired...200 chicks, a baby draft horse and a 2nd baby horse on the way is very tiring.

OMG, I LOVE him!!!!

 

[ronott1]

Question-

Ron would probably know the answer. Or Chickee.

So Ellie our three week old EE likes to dust bathe a lot (most of our babes do). The Hubs just built a larger brooder 4'x6' as they were scheming to escape their original. Ellie takes a long dust bath only afterwards she looked kinda goofy and "crab walked" (best way I can describe it) around and when she did get up looked dizzy or like she was having a hard time standing on her right leg. 2-3 minutes later though she was her normal self.

Are chickens just that weird or is that a bad sign? She's still eating and drinking and as spunky as ever. Oh, and if they ever had Cocci (doubting they did) after their Corid treatment as Ron suggested all the nasty pooeys cleared up except for the normal runny ones they get like every 7-8 poos.

She sounds fine, but watch her. Sometimes they look like they are dead after dust bathing. I have had a couple just lay there in the sun for a bit before they get up!

It is very entertaining.

 

[SilkieRose]

Mareks is everywhere. It is a race to get them inoculated before they get it just from the air. Wild birds have it too. Oxine might help though.

The best thing to do is get resistant breeds of get the birds from breeders that have been breeding for resistance. Culling and or not breeding the ones that show symptoms and live is what needs to happen.

One thing you can do is take the ones that are suffering to one of the UCD labs. They will euthanize the chick\chicken and send you a Necropsy report. Often that is the most humane thing to do for a suffering bird that will not eat or drink.

It is very sad but it is one of the things that happens with animals and pets.

How much do they charge, Ron? In your opinion, should I cull? I will. I just need the word from you wise ones that I should due to poor prognosis.

 

[Luvinmyhurd]

Please post all ads in the appropriate BST section.
You will find the rules here
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=250783

Thanks

~Staff

 

[ronott1]

Quote: If she is not eating and drinking or she does not start getting better is a couple of days I would cull her. The Necropsy is free.

UC DAVIS

http://www.cahfs.ucdavis.edu/index.cfm
The form is here: http://www.cahfs.ucdavis.edu/local-assets/pdfs/StandardSubmissionFormFeb-2011.pdf


UC DAVIS FEDEX INFO: Their account # is 364343981. If you use their account number you will get to use UC Davis's discount which is up to 70% off. They said that they will bill you for the shipment after you get the report (or at the same time.) Also, FedEx and UPS both ship to the actual lab every day... the Postal Service doesn't.

CAHFS - Davis Laboratory
University of California
West Health Sciences Drive
Davis, CA 95616
Phone: 530-752-8700
Fax: 530-752-6253
[email protected]
CAHFS - San Bernardino Laboratory
Branch Chief: Dr. Hailu Kinde
105 W. Central Avenue
San Bernardino, CA
92408-2113
Phone: (909) 383-4287
Fax: (909) 884-5980
[email protected]
CAHFS - Tulare Laboratory
Branch Chief: Dr. Patricia Blanchard
18830 Road 112
Tulare, CA
93274-9042
Phone: (559) 688-7543
Fax: (559) 686-4231
[email protected]
CAHFS - Turlock Laboratory
Branch Chief: Dr. Bruce Charlton
1550 Soderquist Rd.
Turlock, CA
95381-2204
Phone: (209) 634-5837
Fax: (209) 667-4261
[email protected]

Sorry she is sick!

You can take her in to Davis and they will cull her for you.

 

[chiqita]

I can hold your dreams ( OK that is a funny autocorrect. Was supposed to be seramas ) for you for a few months if you still want them. Unless they are moving in permanently. I have a pen with 3 younglings born on Xmas that has more room. They go outside a few days a week and sleep on the covered porch or my office. Give me a holler

 

[chiqita]

And welcome luv.

 

[chicksnthestiks]

Hope everyone has a great day. I'm off to the Imaging Center to get another MRI on the brain.. Wish me luck

I wonder while looking at my brain if they can tell I'm chicken crazy

I hope not, because I'm sure I'm Certifiable... Just Say'in!

Best wishes to you today, I hope they can't tell we are certifialble from an MRI or alot of us will be in trouble. But then if we ended up at Napa State maybe they would let us have chickens

.